Newest corpse flower is in search of a name

Published 5:30 am, Monday, July 11, 2011

Photo: Michael Paulsen, Houston Chronicle

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Soni Holladay, greenhouse manager and horticulturist at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, displays a newly donated corpse flower in the museum's greenhouse. At right is Lois, a corpse flower that bloomed last July. less

Soni Holladay, greenhouse manager and horticulturist at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, displays a newly donated corpse flower in the museum's greenhouse. At right is Lois, a corpse flower that bloomed ... more

Last July, Lois held our attention while we waited days for the finicky plant to unfurl her stinky bloom. She was the second known corpse flower to bloom in Texas, the 29th in the country. Rare outside its native Sumatra, the giant arum, Amorphophallus titanum, takes about seven years to flower. Considering the bloom structure can stand 10 feet tall and measure up to 5 feet across, that seems a more reasonable amount of time.

Lois' new buddy, who is 4 years old, arrived at the museum six months ago, says horticulturist Zac Stayton. But it's time to give it a name, so the museum's holding a contest. Post your suggestion by Friday at the Beyond Bones blog at http://blog.hmns.org. A committee will choose finalists; revisit the site after noon Monday to cast your vote. The winning name will be announced July 25, the anniversary of Lois' big bloom.

For now, Lois' roommate doesn't look like much. The younger plant has a new leaf bud — a 12-inch-tall, fat green spike emerging from the soil. This spike will stretch into a thick, mottled stalk topped with umbrellalike foliage that norishes an underground corm for several months. The foliage will wither, and the plant will go dormant - a process that's repeated each year until the plant is about 7 years old or the corm weighs about 30 pounds, the fighting weight needed to support a big bloom.

Stayton says we've got another three or so years before we can anticipate a bloom.

Lois, too, has a leaf. It's been refueling her corm for seven months and is beginning to brown. Soon, Lois will rest. It's anyone's guess when she'll flower again, Stayton says.